VZCZCXRO1854
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHAK #0154/01 0292009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 292009Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1938
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0521

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000154 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECON PGOV AF TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S AFGHANISTAN SUMMIT EMPHASIZES REGIONAL 
COOPERATION 
 
REF: 09 ANKARA 1661 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  In an effort to showcase the role of 
Afghanistan's neighbors in advance of the January 28 London 
Conference on Afghanistan, Turkey's President Gul hosted a 
Summit on Afghanistan and its contiguous neighbors on January 
26, 2010.  Participants included Afghan President Karzai, 
Pakistan President Zardari, Iranian First Vice President 
Rahimi, UK Foreign Secretary Miliband, and Chinese Foreign 
Minister Yang, as well foreign ministers from Tajikistan and 
Kyrgyzstan.  Observers included Russian Deputy Foreign 
Minister Borodavkin and senior representatives from the 
United States, Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Germany, NATO, the 
EU, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and 
UNAMA. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan did not attend, while 
Turkey agreed to exclude India at the request of Pakistan, in 
part because the genesis for the conference was a 
Turkey-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Summit in 2009. 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY CONTINUED: The conference demonstrated both 
the region's interest in supporting Afghanistan and the 
regional tensions that contribute to instability in 
Afghanistan.  We and Turkey succeeded in avoiding the 
creation of new regional structures that could exclude some 
countries from what needs to be a broad regional effort to 
reduce tensions and stabilize Afghanistan.  Every delegation 
emphasized that regional cooperation was necessary to 
stabilize Afghanistan.  Deputy Special Representative for 
Afghanistan and Pakistan Paul Jones, who led the U.S. 
delegation, offered principles for expanded regional 
cooperation, emphasizing that all of Afghanistan's neighbors 
have a legitimate and important role to play in stabilizing 
Afghanistan and that all countries' actions should reinforce 
and respect Afghanistan's sovereignty.  Jones joined other 
delegations' calls for greater transparency and flexible 
cooperation on issues such as counter terrorism, trade, 
energy, and counternarcotics.  He emphasized that no country 
should use its position in Afghanistan against others.  Jones 
also held several bilateral meetings with heads of other 
delegations (septel).  More broadly, the conference offered 
Turkey another opportunity to take a leading role in regional 
efforts to support Afghanistan, and ended with the 
presentation of a joint statement indentifying future areas 
for regional cooperation, mainly in the areas of culture and 
training.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (U) Originally planned for February or March 2010, this 
summit on "Friendship and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia" 
was rescheduled to precede the London Conference on January 
¶28.  The idea for the Summit emerged from Turkey's trilateral 
meetings with Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Turkey's President 
Abdullah Gul opened the summit, emphasizing the cultural, 
religious, and historic ties between Afghanistan, its 
neighbors, and countries in the region.  He stressed that 
extremism could not be overcome by military power alone and 
said the basic tenet of the region's Afghanistan policy 
should be winning 
the hearts and minds of the people.  President Gul stressed 
the need for regional assistance to Afghanistan in the areas 
of energy, trade and private sector development, and in 
countering extremism, drug trade, organized crime, and human 
trafficking.  He called on all attending to support President 
Karzai's agenda, as outlined in his November 2009 inaugural 
address.  Finally, Gul emphasized that Turkey did not intend 
to create an exclusive format for regional cooperation, but 
wanted to complement existing mechanisms. 
 
¶4.  (U) Afghan President Hamid Karzai emphasized that 
cultural connections among Afghanistan's neighbors would help 
build and sustain cooperation.  While noting the important 
contributions the international community is making to Afghan 
stability, he said regional cooperation is most important for 
stabilizing Afghanistan.  Karzai noted that economic 
infrastructure in the region is lacking and highlighted the 
importance of transit links and the need for increased 
cooperation in trade, energy, investment, and environmental 
protection, to integrate Afghanistan into the region. 
 
¶5. (U)  Pakistani President Zardari's remarks focused on 
Pakistan's struggle against terrorism and the need for 
increased dialogue among neighbors.  Zardari was pessimistic 
that extremists would be easily defeated, opining that the 
problem would not be solved in his generation, but said he 
was committed to leading Pakistan to a better future. 
 
¶6.  (U) Iran's First Vice President Mohammed Reza Rahimi 
repeatedly voiced his support for regional meetings aimed at 
reaching agreements to facilitate sustainable social and 
political stability in Afghanistan.  He noted that Iran has 
allocated a large percentage of its budget for assistance 
 
ANKARA 00000154  002 OF 003 
 
 
along its border with Afghanistan in the areas of roads, 
water, electricity, border markets.  The three main areas of 
development Iran focuses on in Afghanistan are: 
infrastructure, training/technical services, and goods and 
commodities.  Tehran also encourages Iranian companies to 
invest in Afghanistan.  While he opined that foreign forces 
in Afghanistan and civilian casualties have exacerbated 
Afghanistan's problems and 
called for a timetable for withdrawal of foreign forces, his 
comments were generally even-keeled and constructive.  He 
emphasized that the only sustainable solution for Afghan 
stability is regional cooperation. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi made a 
proactive, forward-leaning statement.  Yang called for all 
countries to support and aid the Afghan government in 
reconstruction and economic development.  He highlighted the 
themes of sovereignty, territorial integrity, 
non-interference, and the importance of regional cooperation. 
 He noted that China has canceled all of Afghanistan's debts 
since 2002, has trained over 500 government officials, built 
hospitals and power and irrigation projects, turned 
concessionary loans into grant assistance, and has plans for 
more projects and training.  Yang listed four aspects China 
feels are important with regard to work with Afghanistan: 1) 
Neighbors should use their specific advantages, links and 
influence to support Afghanistan; 2) Afghanistan should be 
integrated into the international community and respected as 
an independent country; 3) Aid and assistance should be more 
focused and coordinated to avoid overlapping and wasting 
resources; 4) We should all be open with our assistance and 
promote interaction between countries, and respect the 
leading role of the UN to organize efforts.  (COMMENT: 
Yang's statement reflected many of the priorities the United 
States has emphasized with the Chinese in recent months and 
evidences an evolution in Chinese thinking on Afghanistan 
over the past year.) 
 
¶8.  (U) Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrohon Zarifi said 
Tajikistan suffers from the instability originating in 
Afghanistan, and said supporting improved border security a 
priority.  Zarifi said he believes the most important 
solution is putting strength in the hands of the Afghan 
people and supporting their self-empowerment.  He highlighted 
the importance of transit and energy cooperation, 
particularly regional cooperation on highway and railroad 
infrastructure, as well as possible development of natural 
gas pipelines and power plants. 
 
¶9.  (U) Saudi Arabia's State Minister Nizar Madani pledged 
continuing support for Afghanistan and expressed his belief 
that an inclusive political solution bringing together all 
Afghan people is essential.  UAE State Minister Anwar 
Garagash called for further involvement of Muslim countries 
in Afghanistan. 
 
¶10.  (U) Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Borodavkin 
spoke mainly on counternarcotics, and Russia's successes in 
working with Afghanistan on countering drug trafficking.  He 
reminded the audience that extremism is funded by the drug 
trade.  He said Russia feels all the Afghan-related 
cooperative mechanisms and summits are important and should 
not be seen as competitive, but as complementary to benefit 
Afghanistan.  He also noted that Russia will increase 
training of Afghan officials and is prepared to provide 
additional material assistance. 
 
¶11.  (U) OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu 
appreciated the summit as a chance for countries to come 
together for peace and security, and said the OIC supports 
regional cooperation and coordination.  He announced the OIC 
will soon organize a scholars/religious leaders conference in 
Kabul on the topic of radical interpretations of Islam and 
promoting tolerance, to contribute to national 
reconciliation, which the OIC supports. 
 
¶12.  (U) While observers, including the United States, did 
not play a role in shaping the final summit statement, it 
reinforced many of the principles that Deputy SRAP Jones 
articulated.  Specifically, the statement outlined a "shared 
vision" of regional peace and stability and the importance of 
coordinated action and regional cooperation in trade and 
transit, transport and energy.  It also outlined "principles 
of cooperation" including supporting the Afghan government 
and the Afghan national process of reconciliation and 
reintegration.  The statement also lists agreements to: 
establish a "minds platform" to bring together academics, 
media and think tanks, to be hosted in Turkey in 2010; 
developing regional capacity-building programs; natural 
disaster response simulation activities; job creation and 
infrastructure building projects; presenting joint cultural 
 
ANKARA 00000154  003 OF 003 
 
 
exhibitions; and suggests annual meetings of Afghanistan's 
neighbors "as appropriate." 
 
¶13. (U) D/SRAP Paul Jones cleared this cable. 
Jeffrey 
 
           "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s 
gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"